


fool me again

by lumoshannah (orphan_account)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, Cute, Cute Harry, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Harry is a journalist, Kissing, Light Angst, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Near Future, No Smut, OT5 Friendship, Same-Sex Marriage, Secret Santa, don't ask why, if i think of any more then i'll add them, louis is a teacher, sorry!! i can't write smut, this reminds me loosely of friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 13:52:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5499494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/lumoshannah
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're cute." Harry murmured, letting his hands slip up the back of the Louis' shirt, fingertips running along his spine.<br/>"Not as cute as you," Louis smiled. "Although, you look more sexy than cute at the moment."<br/>"Is this going in the direction that I think it is?" Harry asked.<br/>"Yeah, take off your shirt."</p><p>or the one where Harry is a journalist, Louis is a teacher and Harry's workplace is hosting its annual Christmas Party</p>
            </blockquote>





	fool me again

**Author's Note:**

> so after having a break from fic writing for almost two years, enduring four weeks of exams and realising the impending boredom of the boy's break I decided to start writing again. I wrote this within the space of a week because I was determined to get it out before Christmas, so any mistakes (please tell me of them!) are of my own as I proof read my own work. I will be going back to edit the mistakes when this is done. this was originally supposed to be 10k, but I got to 7k and realised I hadn't even got to the main plot point, so I then decided to split it into two 10k parts. 
> 
> as usual, this material is purely fiction, everything that happens and all opinions expressed by the characters are made up! share if you would like but please don't share to an extent where the boys can see it or relations of the boys can. the forth wall is important!
> 
> title is from 'last christmas' by wham!

Harry stared out the window of his office with dreaming eyes, watching as the delicate snowflakes fall and either tumble onto the window or continue their journey to the ground. The snowflakes are thick, heavy, and Harry can almost guarantee that within a few hours there will be another luscious blanket of snow laying on the London streets. He loves winter, he always has, it's his favourite season. Not just because of the celebrations winter entails, but the weather and the way the community adjusts has always made his heart swell. Coffee shops hanging decorations in their displays and incorporating festive delicacies into their menu's, shops producing the sweetest sweaters and prettiest presents. Winter is a time for reflection, and given the fact that Harry spends his days reviewing, critiquing and reflecting on new music for a living, any excuse to reflect fulfils his needs.  
He's in the middle of typing up and finalising his newest review for the brand new Adele album when an envelope was dropped on his desk, making him jump a little. He glanced up from his computer screen, smiling when his eyes made contact with the familiar brown-comfort of Zayn's. "Alright?" He asked, picking up the envelope to begin gently tearing it open.  
"Yeah, I guess. Having a nightmare in the reprographics, the photocopier has shit all over us," Zayn sighed, nodding down to the envelope he placed on the desk. "Christmas party invite. Need you to RSVP by the end of the week so we know if you need a plus one or not."  
Harry smiled and shook his head, his loose curls flitting around his face and falling from behind his ear, making him consequently brush them back to their correct place. "Is that even a question?" He asked, his index finger and thumb going to idly twist the silver wedding band set on the ring finger of his left hand. "I've been here three years and not a single year has gone by where I haven't brought a plus one. And I'm sorry about the photocopier. Is Nick not around to fix it? He's generally good with this stuff."  
"Nah, Ben had him called up to the senior editorial meeting where the interactive screen cocked up. I swear, with the amount of money this place brings in you think they could afford working technology," Zayn mutters, his shoulders lifting in a small shrug. "And I had to ask. You know, could be trouble in paradise or something."  
"Mate, trouble in paradise? I thought you knew us better," Harry teased, his eyes simply scanning the invitation before he picked up a pen and quickly filled everything out. "You're welcome."  
"Not even taking it home?"  
Harry's head shook, head tilting slightly to the side as he stayed looking up at Zayn. From the angle he was at, the natural sunlight combined with the dim rays from the ceiling lamp intensified the sharpness of Zayn's jawline. It was almost unfair how defined his jaw was, as cliché as it sounds it almost seems sharp enough to cut paper. But then Harry would let his mind fall back to the countless conversations when he was complimented on his cheekbones and as a result felt less self conscious about his lacking side-profile view. "I don't need too," he replied, leaning on the desk. "Telepathic powers, Malik."  
"Ugh, you're so disgustingly married." Zayn said, faux gagging.  
Harry let out a small giggle, cheeks flushing slightly. "You were there on the day, we were married a hell of a long time before we actually signed the damn papers."  
Harry noticed Zayn's expression soften at that, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly. "Yeah, I know, Haz. It was sweet to see. I'm still happy for you two, even to this day."  
"Cheers, mate. But scram, I have a review to finish." Harry teased, moving back to focus on the screen again.  
"Alright, alright," Zayn laughed, rubbing his hand over his mouth before lifting his hand to give Harry a mock salute. "Tell Louis to text me, alright?"  
"Will do." Harry promised, and with one last look at his wedding ring he turned back to his work, wondering how on earth he could criticise Hello without sabotaging the reputation of the entire firm.  
*  
The sweet smell of cinnamon filled Harry's nose as he stepped into the house, jacket being hung up on the hooks and shoes being neatly placed on the rack. He set his work bag on the stairs for when he went up to shower later, clearing his throat as he walked into the lounge. Their house was quite open plan, really, something that Harry had been uncertain about at first, but Louis had promised he would make it work. And, somehow, he did. First there was their lounge, with a few leather sofa's placed perpendicular to one another at a diagonal to their TV placed in front of the bay window. To the left in the corner was their Christmas tree, a quaint pile of gifts already making their way underneath it and beside the tree was their fireplace, an addition that was the main reason Harry's mind changed about the place. Directly behind the sofa's was their joint dining and kitchen area. On the right side of the space was their rectangular shaped mahogany table that Harry snatched up at an auction, a bouquet of white roses placed in the centre, matching mahogany chairs surrounding each four sides. The kitchen, albeit not the largest, had all they needed. The counters were arranged in a 'U' shape around the remaining room, a stove and dishwasher accompanying a fridge and microwave. The layout briefly reminded Harry of his university kitchen, but the fact that there were many more glasses and several mugs with chips out of the circumference brought him back down to earth. This was his home, and he wouldn't wish for anything else.  
Harry glanced down at the sofa where a figure sat, cross legged with a pile of large orange books to his right, and a sleeping cat to his left. Strewn over his lap was an open book and a collection of coloured pens and highlighters, writing hand idly tapping on the paper as he read.  
"My love, what are you doing?" Harry asked, going to the sofa and perched himself on the arm of the chair, fingers easily weaving themselves through the fine strands of Louis' hair.  
Louis' face turned up immediately, the previous pout of concentration transforming into a stomach-twisting smile. The corners of his lips rose dramatically, parting slightly in the centre so Harry could see a small amount of Louis' teeth. His eyes crinkled slightly at the side, and after pushing his glasses up with his knuckles, Harry could again bathe in the tranquil environment of his ocean eyes. The blue colour reminded him of galaxies, solar systems, planets that could scare and also intrigue him. On other days the colour seemed more subtle, almost cascading a shimmering lake or sea through the iris, sending waves of emotion crashing in Harry's lower tummy. As each day went by Harry managed to find a new element that sent him tumbling further in love with his spouse. Whether it was identifying a new freckle lying on the nape of his neck or even a wrinkle in his skin that Harry could trace for hours on end. Something new everyday that reminded him of why his heart chose to share half of itself with him.  
"Angel," Louis smiled, leaning up to the connect their lips, like two jigsaw puzzle pieces that were meant to fit together. "My year eleven's had to write an essay on their recent performance. And me being the teacher I am said I would set them another essay for over Christmas, so I need to mark these ones before the end of next week."  
"I do wonder how your pupils still like you," Harry teased. "Not that you aren't a good teacher, because you are. But you set them homework over Christmas yet you always come home with at least seven bottles of wine each year."  
"Maybe it's because I don't punish them too harshly if they don't hand it in on the due date," Louis shrugged, moving the pile of books onto the coffee table so Harry could be tugged down onto the space next to him. And just like that, Louis found his position curled up to Harry's side, looking back down to continue marking. "And you know you love the wine I get. Means we don't need to spend a shit ton of money on housewarming gifts, presents or even drinks for when we have guests over."  
"True." Harry answered, plain and simple.  
"Work?" Louis asked, his eyes not leaving the pages he was assessing but Harry could tell his eyebrows were cocked up, a sign of genuine interest.  
"It was okay, finished up a few reviews and began drafting a piece on how the uprising of subgenre music is dominating the charts," Harry explained, his fingers gently curling different sections of Louis' hair before releasing them after a moment. "Also got the invitation for the annual Christmas party."  
"Oh?"  
Harry hummed, throat clearing again afterwards. "Zayn dropped the invite off. Also asked that you text him," he said. "It's being held in this rather fancy spa resort. So we get a weekend away. I already sent the RSVP back. It's this weekend. I hope I recalled your diary correctly that means you're free to come?"  
"Always. I would never miss the Christmas party, you know that." Louis replied, as though it were a fact that Harry should know.  
"Yeah, I know," Harry said, a small laugh escaping his lips afterwards. "So, what shopping have we got left to do? The party is over two days, so the first is when the actual event is, the second day is when gift giving is meant to take. I have my secret Santa to buy for, Aiden, but I would like to know if we have everything bought for the lads, their missus's and the girls."  
"Well," Louis started, shutting the book he had on his lap, dropping it on the floor and then turned so he could look at Harry properly. "I have Zayn this book on tattoo's, the skateboard he's wanted all year along with some beers. Niall has this book on golfers and that weekend away to St Andrews we bought. So they're sorted. We got Liam and Maya those baby books seeing as she's expecting, along with a scarf and beer for him, and some makeup and biscuits for her. I got the half coated chocolate ones seeing as Li said she was craving them."  
"Oh yeah, I know those. Did you pick up the baby blanket we saw as well for them?"  
"Yep, got it wrapped up and everything. Is there anything else we need to get?" Louis asked, his hand coming up to take Harry's, their fingers intertwining.  
"Nick? Ben?"  
"You get those presents, babe. I don't know them well enough." Louis said, shrugging.  
"You see them at least once a week."  
"Doesn't mean that I know what they would like for Christmas," Louis retorted. "Just get them beer and a gift card."  
Harry huffed, shaking his head a little. "Fine, but no. Nobody wants a gift card for Christmas."  
"I wouldn't mind a gift card for Christmas. My co-workers always get me gift cards."  
"Gift cards that you always exchange with other people for money. Don't try to bullshit me, I know you." Harry said, letting his lips press to Louis' cheek.  
"You're making it out like I'm Rachel from Friends. I don't exchange that much, and anyway. I'm only proving your point wrong that nobody wants a gift card."  
"You don't use them though." Harry sighed, pressing a line of kisses to Louis' jaw.  
"Not the point."  
"Alright, you win," Harry chuckled, sitting up afterwards. "I'm going to go shower. I'll be back down to cook dinner in a little while."  
"Not before you kiss me, loser." Louis teased, pressing their lips together again, and Harry couldn't help but smile when he felt the corners of Louis' lips rise as well.  
"I'll see you in a few." He said after pulling back, leaving another chaste kiss on the rosy lips of Louis before standing from the sofa, picking up his bag from the foot of the stairs as he walking up to the bedroom. He dumped his bag on his desk in the study, heaving off his blazer and clothes afterwards. He pulled out a jumper with a ragged pair of jeans, laying them over the bed before taking himself into the shower. And it was about twenty minutes later that Harry had lathered up his body, shook out the shampoo from his hair and had dried himself off, clothes now loosely hanging from his slightly tan body. Even though it had been a good few months since he and Louis took their trip over to California, his skin still had a light dusting of uneven tan, his normal creamy skin topped with a layer of caramel that settled into his pores.  
Harry found his way downstairs, passing Louis who was still drooling over pupil's books, wandering into the kitchen. It was a cycle that the two of them had adjusted too over their three years of marriage. They married young, when Harry was twenty and fresh out of university, Louis being twenty-two. They had received the whole "are you sure?" conversation with both their parents, which Harry found rather hypocritical given the fact that both their parents married at their age, or younger. Aside from everybody else's initial reluctance to accept and support the decision, everything came together in time for their semi-traditional service. Louis' sisters played the part of the flower girls, Harry's joining in for a bridesmaid and seeing as there was no "mother of the bride", as such, their parents coincided to create a "mother of the grooms" scenario. It was sweet, and had elements that both he and Louis wanted. But anyway, the cycle. It came about after their first few months of living together had shown they only had about five hours together in the evening before one or the other needed to rest. Louis being a secondary school drama teacher meant that he had to wake up at six in the morning and be out for seven, not getting back until four in the afternoon. Harry, on the other hand, worked from nine until five, the typical shift, sometimes later depending on whether or not he took some overtime to finish work. Louis then having to do marking while Harry had to freshen up and cook, they worked out some kind of routine. Louis would get home and finish his marking up until the point when Harry had showered, sorted himself out and had dinner cooked and plated on their little dining table. From dinner onwards, they weren't allowed to do any more work, it was their time to spend together. And it worked, and without the cycle Harry doubted that their marriage would be as successful as it was.  
"Hey, you look zoned out," Louis said, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, hopped onto the kitchen counter. "You doing okay?"  
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just- thinking, reflecting." Harry said, shoulders lifting and dropping in a shrug.  
"Thinking, reflecting... About what?" Louis asked, his legs crossing on the counter and if Harry didn't find it so endearing then he probably would've scolded him for being so messy and informal.  
"Us, mainly," said Harry, deciding to continue once the confused face and pinched eyebrows didn't disappear off of Louis' face. "I've just done a lot of reviewing today. And coming back here after realising we're going to our third consecutive Christmas party as a married couple made me feel kind of nostalgic."  
"What've you been thinking about revolving around us?" Louis questioned further, scooting a little closer to where Harry was, though not too close as though to risk hurting himself from where the pan was being heated.  
"Our cycle, pattern. How safe I feel around you." Harry said, turning to properly face Louis as he spoke.  
"You feel safe around me?"  
"Well, duh. It would be kind of awkward if I didn't feel safe around you seeing as we've been married for three years." Harry chuckled, beginning to plate up the stir fry that he had been making.  
"That's sweet, you're sweet," Louis commented, hopping off the counter to flick on the kettle. "One of the reasons I fell for you. You have a perfect personality."  
"I disagree, but thank you."  
"You disagree?"  
"I find flaws in myself everyday, it's normal."  
Louis' eyebrows pinched back together again, lips turning down. "What flaws?"  
"You really want me to tell you?" Harry asked.  
"No," Louis said, quite firmly. "Because hearing you talk bad about yourself makes me sad."  
"Why did you ask?"  
Louis shrugged, and Harry vaguely gathered that he was deliberately trying to act nonchalant. "Curious. Because I find you perfect, and hearing you say you think you have flaws makes me feel I haven't done a good enough job at making you feel good."  
"That's not what I-"  
"I know," Louis cut off, pouring the two mugs of tea before going to set them on the dining table, adding some catnip to their cat's food bowl before settling down in his seat. "I know. Just... thoughts. Shouldn't have said what I did. I apologise."  
"Forgiven," Harry mumbled, setting a plate in front of Louis and one to himself as he sat down at the table. "I didn't ask you how work was today."  
"Quite interesting, actually," Louis started, swiftly turning the conversation away from the previous topic. It was something Louis always seemed to be able to do, change the topic without anybody noticing. Harry noticed, of course he did, but he never questioned it. "I set my year eleven's off on their new practical project, you know the devised pieces that they do every year? Well, this year I allocated them themes and they all seem really eager to start."  
"What themes?"  
"Balance, friction and imagination."  
"Deep." Harry said, evoking a small laugh from Louis.  
"I know, I went all out this year. Sod the stupid romance and break-ups, I want some hardcore scenes about a schizophrenic parent struggling to raise their son, a dysfunctional relationship gradually deteriorating." Louis said with a shrug, as though what he suggested were completely normal events that happened in everyday society.  
"Sometimes romance is nice though."  
"It gets repetitive though, babe. Sometimes you just want to see them try. Like, romance is so closed off. You fall in love and you either stay together or break up. Although more variations of couples and sexuality are coming about, it's generic. Sometimes I want to push my kids to the best of their ability and see them tackle some really hard hitting stuff. I want them to present and understand that life isn't always as simple as falling in love. Sometimes it gets hard and shitty and there are incidents of mental illness, or falling out of love. And though it hurts it's something that people get over. I want to not only watch them blossom as performers, but also to educate them on things they don't learn in class." Louis read off, his fork twisting in his noodles as he spoke.  
"You're one of the most incredible people I've ever met," Harry said. "You're so passionate, I can see now why your pupils love you. Like, when I was in school, I had no teacher who was truly passionate. Maybe if they all treated me like they wanted to see me succeed, then I would've tried harder."  
"What do you mean? You tried hard enough. I mean, look where you are now."  
"This wasn't really where I intended to be though. I mean, married and being in love is great. But I always felt like law was my path."  
"Law?" Louis asked, laughing a little. "No offence, angel, because I'm sure you would be a fantastic lawyer, but you're too much of a sweetheart to ever consider someone guilty no matter what they do."  
"I suppose, maybe that's why my history teacher always pushed me towards English." Harry shrugged, taking a small sip from his tea. The liquid was still a little hot, meaning his tongue burnt slightly, but the sensation was nice. He could endure it.  
"You like your job, right?"  
"Yeah! I do, I'm forever grateful. I love the firm, love writing. It just makes me wonder what would've happened if I took law instead of journalism."  
"Wouldn't have met me, that's for sure," Louis said. "If you hadn't taken journalism then you wouldn't have had to help me open the door to my childcare class while you were on your way to your PR in the media class."  
"Oh, yeah. I never thought about that," commented Harry, letting his fingers drum a melancholy pattern on the table. "This is like some It's a Wonderful Life inception, thinking about what would've happened if my life was different."  
"Well, I can firmly say that if you didn't exist then my life would be a lot shittier." Louis said, a smile playing on the corner of his lips.  
"Surely you would've found someone else you loved."  
"Not how soulmates work, baby," Louis said softly, continuing when he noticed Harry about to interrupt. "And don't say that if you didn't exist then you wouldn't be my soulmate in the first place. That's not how things work out. I am meant to be with you whether you're alive or not."  
"I love you." Harry said, simple and sweet, but he had nothing else to offer.  
"I love you," Louis replied, leaning over to press a kiss to Harry's lips. "Please don't ever forget it."  
*  
The Christmas party for Harry's work came around quicker than he would've liked, and he had just about finished the wrapping and gift arrangements before they needed to pack up the car to leave. The spa resort that the part was held at was an hour or so drive away, so they were packed up and ready to leave about six in the evening on the Friday. The party wasn't until the Saturday evening, but the two of them and a few other people from Harry's work in their close network of friends had decided to go up early so they could get a kickstart in the festivities. Given the fact that Louis only got holiday when the schools took a break and Harry only when he requested time off, meeting up as the large group they had been since Harry began work at the firm was rather difficult. So any time that they could all get together was greatly treasured.  
"You ready?" Louis asked, coming up behind Harry to wrap his arms around his waist, letting his face snuggle perfectly into the crook of Harry's neck, where he belonged. Harry just nodded in response, making sure the lock the front for after he left, checking he had his phone and keys. The drive to the resort was lush, in Harry's opinion. Within ten minutes of being on the road, Louis had taken one of Harry's hands, held it tightly between both of this own and set their interlinked hands in his lap before dozing off. The chair was tilted back ever so slightly to give him some comfort, his mouth slightly agape and feathery fringe scattered over his forehead. If Harry didn't have to drive, he would've spent the hour just admiring every feature of Louis' face, thinking how on earth he ever became so blessed to have someone as angelic and wonderful as Louis was. The weather only furthered his lovely mood, the snow falling thickly and peacefully onto the windscreen of the car. The wipers managed to keep the glass clear, avoiding any safety issues, and helped to pile the snow up around the edge of the screen. The gentle, quiet thud sounds as each flake dropped on the glass sent lullabies of peace through Harry's body, and accompanied with the warmth and security of Louis by his side, he didn't think that his life could get any better.  
Having to wake Louis up when Harry arrived at the resort was something he was dreading, with a small twinge of excitement running through him as well at the prospect of sleepy-eyed and clingy Louis appearing. Which is why as he approached the resort and parked, he stayed put for a while, admiring the architecture and landscape of Trinity Rose Spa and Resort. The building was evidently old, with brickwork and construction resembling something Harry would consider a cross-over between Tudor and traditional castle/ The place looked quite big, with extravagant ivy hanging from the piped and dripping from the windows, bushes of flowers, hanging in small pots around the doors and settled into the exquisitely kept flowerbeds along the pathways. A gorgeous fountain stood proudly in the centre of the courtyard, a stone sculpture of a traditional woman perches in the middle, water flowing both from the centre piece and from her open palm that was faced upwards to the sky. The paths were cobblestone, with small patched of evergreen moss sprouting between the separate stones. Harry felt that is he transported back to a life in the 1800's, this would be the place he would want to live. Everything seemed so perfectly maintained, lawns trimmed to a satisfying height with an array of flowers and bushes outlining the grassy areas. Joined with the snow that was still falling at a constant rate, covering areas of the grass, the tops of the bushes and blanketing the roof, Harry felt happy.  
He eventually turned to face Louis, leaning over to gently drag his nose along his spouse's cheekbone, pressing a kiss to it afterwards. "Time to wake up, my love," he said quietly, gently squeezing Louis' hand before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "We're here. It's almost eight, so we can get in, unpack, go down to the bar for a short while and then go up to rest. Sound good?"  
He watched as Louis stretched out in the chair, not once showing any sign of loosening the grip he had on Harry's hand. His eyes clenched, squinted before opening one at a time, the mouth that was once agape opening widely in a final yawn before he sat up. "Did I sleep the entire way?"  
Harry nodded, thumb gently brushing the smooth skin on the back of Louis' hand. "It was adorable, honestly. You deserved the rest, you've had a busy week." He said, a promising smile on his face. Louis had begun organising the school's spring performance, having spent their last weekend finding a script for Beauty and The Beast and then photocopying it far too many times. He even asked Harry to take the script into work to see if he could get a few more free photo copies done of the script. (He got three done before Zayn walked in, raised an eyebrow at why Harry was surrounded in a waterfall paper before shutting the copier off and walking out of the room again.)  
"Shouldn't have left you by yourself for an hour and a bit. I'm sorry, I know you like to chat when we drive." Louis said, the apologetic tone evident in his voice, the works woven with a quiet volume and high pitch that almost made Harry's heart burst.  
"Shush, you don't need to apologise. You were in the same car, you numpty. But now it means you'll be awake to chat in the bar for a little with the others. I'm glad you napped, though. The bags that have come on under your eyes have almost made me cry several times." Harry shrugged, swinging open the door after pressing a chaste kiss to Louis' temple. He stepped out, passing by to the boot of the car so he could take out their small suitcase and overnight duffel bag, slinging the back over his shoulder as Louis came around to shut the boot.  
"I'm not a numpty. I just feel bad that I've wasted an our of our valuable time together."  
"Time we can make up for now. And you are a numpty." Harry said, using one hand to tightly grip onto the suitcase and the other to lace his fingers with Louis' as the walked up to the resort. The cobble paths made it quite difficult to tug a suitcase on, but Harry somehow managed and by the time they got inside, he was already distracted by the interior. Draped in front of the windows were velvet curtains in a deep maroon colour, accompanied with maroon carpets underneath. Exquisite chandeliers hung periodically from the ceiling, cascading a wash of glimmering light onto the marble flooring. Harry almost felt intimidated pulling the suitcase along the floor in case he damaged it, but before he had a chance to consider picking the case up, Louis was already making his way to the reception desk.  
"Hi," Louis said, a smile spread on his face as he addressed the worker. "Reservation under the name Tomlinson-Styles?"  
"Part of the Christmas party group?" The lady asked, her fingers quickly typing and clicking away on the computer.  
"Yep! Is everybody being roomed on the same corridor?" Harry inquired, leaning on the counter as they waited.  
"As closely as possible, Sir. Everybody is on the same floor, at least," she explained, setting up two room keys and slid them along with the receipt for the stay and what appeared to be a typed up itinerary of the weekend. "Okay, you're in room 207. Second floor, there are stairs to your left and an elevator to your right. The paper is a printed list of activities that have been organised for the weekend. The host of the party said you aren't entitled to enter any if you don't wish, but to complete the relevant tick boxes and hand the list into the reception by the end of the night."  
"Did Winston go all out and book the entire resort?" Louis mocked, eyes scanning the list while Harry picked up the room keys.  
"Although business is running as usual, he did pay quite a bit to rent out specific areas only for his party members," the lady said, giving the two one last smile before bowing her head. "Have a lovely evening."  
"He's crazy, I swear," Louis said, tagging behind Harry as they walked over to the elevator. "Look at this shit. Honestly, babe. Pottery in the morning? Pottery! Complimentary early bird's massage, free use of the swimming pool. It's December, he's acting like it's the middle of summer."  
"I've never understood your immense hatred towards Ben." Harry said, tugging the suitcase into the elevator when the doors opened, glancing over Louis' shoulder to look at the list of activities.  
"He's a pretentious twat who likes to boast about his job title by hosting these stupid parties. I swear they get bigger every year. He just flaunts all his money, it's stupid," Louis shrugged. "Some people struggle for money and he's here basically tearing up his notes and using twenties as a tissue."  
"He's not that bad," Harry commented. "Sure he spends quite a bit of money, but he's a nice person."  
"I'll always beg to differ. You seem to forget the time he almost wrote you off and made you redundant as you missed a deadline because you passed out and had heat stroke." Louis said, a blank expression shining on his face as he looked at Harry.  
"That was my fault though. Shouldn't have left it to the last minute or sat outside for so long."  
"That's not the point," Louis sighed, propping an arm on his waist. "Any decent employer would understand that the health of their workers is more important than a deadline. You're too kind for your own good. He nearly made you unemployed because you were sick."  
"Not everybody works in an environment when deadlines can be shifted about. Things need to be published." Harry said, dropping a shrug.  
"Please stop. He's an asshole, end of." Louis muttered, conveniently as the elevator doors opened and they walked out to their room. The interior of the room shouldn't have shocked Harry as much as it did given the standard of the rest of the resort, but it was something quite extraordinary. In the centre was a large four poster bed, in front of it to the wall was the TV and kettle, typical things to be seen in a hotel. The wardrobe and cupboards were all resting against the wall to the right of the bed, a bay window, opening up their room to the view of the countryside, opposite to that. From where the bathroom door was open, Harry could see a beautifully sculptured bath set in the corner of the bathroom, with a showerhead hanging above. The counters were all set with marble tops along with several mirrors hanging on the walls, the light reflecting beams of blinding light off the golden decoration around the perimeter of them.  
"This is fancier than the bridal suite we stayed in for our wedding." Harry said, setting the suitcase to the side as he walked in, his hands brushing over the duvet cover.  
"Doesn't mean anything. The room for our wedding was more meaningful. This bed is way too bigger. Bigger than the one we have at home." Louis chuckled, hopping up onto the bed and shuffling about to test the nature of the mattress.  
"I know, I wasn't saying this room is fancier. The bridal suite will always be the best hotel room we've ever stayed in." Harry shrugged, letting his controlling side come over as he began to unpack their clothes, beginning by hanging up their fancier clothes for the actual party tomorrow in the cupboard. Although they had both decided to just wear jeans for bottoms, Harry had brought a crimp white button up and a velvet suit jacket to wear, and Louis had opted for the blue suit jacket and black button-up instead. And seeing as he didn't want their expensive clothes getting creased by sitting in a suitcase all day, he wanted to hang them up.  
"Also where we had some of the best sex." Louis commented, and Harry could sense the grin on his face despite not looking at him.  
"I'm sure we can better that here."  
"You want to try?" Louis asked, causing Harry to turn around to look at him.  
He shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to try."  
Louis' nose scrunched up a little, pondering the thought before completely bypassing the subject by lying down on the bed. "So, who's coming tonight exactly?"  
"The lads, Liam is bringing his lady. Aiden and Nick are going to pop by I think, along with a few of the girls as well." Harry said, beginning to transfer their cosy clothes into the chest of drawers.  
"Ben?"  
"You really think Ben would come to an unplanned night in the bar? He barely associates with us unless he needs too," Harry said, a laugh escaping between his lips."But no. He won't turn up. We're exchanging our Secret Santa presents tonight, the rest of the gifts tomorrow."  
"Boo. So I'm not getting any gifts?" Louis asked, popping out his bottom lip.  
"You say that like Liam hasn't bought us a couple's item for the third year in a row. Last year it was mugs, the year before it was handkerchiefs. I bet he's going to engrave our intials into bowling balls this year." Harry teased, perching down on the edge of the bed after he was done unpacking.  
"Too far away," Louis whined, tugging Harry closer to him until they were laying down on the bed properly, Louis' arm draped over Harry's stomach and his head tucked nicely on the top of his chest. "Anyway, I know. I think it's cute. I love getting couple things."  
"So do I," Harry said, trying to not beam so much as Louis moved about to get comfier. "But you'll get your gifts tomorrow. I'll only be getting one tonight and depending on who it's from, it might even just be wine."  
"Wine is good."  
"It is."  
"Wine is especially good when you've drunk it and the taste is still on your lips."  
"Is it?" Asked Harry, cocking up an eyebrow.  
Louis hummed, nodding ever so slightly as he pressed his lips to Harry's neck. "Makes me think of some kind of shitty metaphor that I'm getting drunk off the taste of your lips."  
"Of course you would put that into a metaphor." Harry teased, turning his head so instead of Louis kissing his neck, their lips briefly connected.  
"Shush, it's cute."  
"You're cute." Harry murmured, letting his hands slip up the back of the Louis' shirt, fingertips running along his spine.  
"Not as cute as you," Louis smiled. "Although, you look more sexy than cute at the moment."  
"Is this going in the direction that I think it is?" Harry asked.  
"Yeah, take off your shirt."  
*  
"Oi oi, finally. Only about twenty minutes late."  
Harry ignored the light blush he felt rise on his cheeks, instead just rolling his eyes and focusing on Louis' presence beside him as they walked into the bar. "Just appreciating the architecture and interior design. This place is lush."  
"Oh, I agree," Maya smiled. "It's gorgeous, right?"  
"Absolutely," Louis said, leaning down to press a kiss to Maya's cheek, gently rubbing her tummy afterwards. "Hello, love. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages. Same goes for you, bump." He said, hands still pressed to Maya's bump.  
"I know, I feel awful. But I know you've been busy, and maternity leave is coming for me soon so I'm busying myself too much at work." Maya shrugged, setting her hand on top of Louis'.  
"Little one kicked yet?" Harry asked, biting on his bottom lip to try and hide the smile as he watching Louis' hand gently rub the bump. It was no secret that children as the path that they were going to be heading down next. They'd married, moved in together. It was only expected, and although they hadn't really talked about it, he knew Louis wanted it too. It was a question he had to ask before he let them get more serious, because Harry refused to date someone who didn't have the same intentions for the future that he did.  
"A couple of times. Liam got mad that he missed the first time they kicked. And then spent the rest of the evening talking to the bump, singing to the bump, basically drooling over the bump until they kicked again." Maya laughed, sitting back down on her chair afterwards.  
"Not my fault I got a little mad. I felt a little like Ross from Friends, you know. How he felt like he was missing out on everything big that was happening in his child's life." Liam said, gripping onto Louis' hand when it was offered to him.  
"I'm pretty sure that Ross got jealous after Ben was born? But I understand the comparison." Harry shrugged, sitting down after pouring himself a glass of water.  
"How long now?" Niall piped up, sitting forward on his chair.  
"Four more months, apparently, but we all know that babies are unpredictable." Liam answered, his hand going to gently rub the back of his wife, allowing Louis to finally come and take his rightful place next to Louis.  
"It's so weird that the first baby of our little group is going to be born soon. I remember when you two had just got together and now you're married, expecting your first." Zayn said, allowing for a soft tone of this voice to come through.  
"I wonder who will be the next?" Niall asked. "Not me, for sure. I still haven't even got to stage one."  
"What on earth is stage one?" Asked Louis, placing a second straw into Harry's glass of water, taking a small sip from it afterwards.  
"Getting a partner."  
"Still no luck?" Maya asked. "One day your princess or prince will come along. But I think Louis and Harry will be next."  
"For what?" They both asked, scarily synchronised.  
"Having a baby." Maya answered, shrugging her shoulders.  
The laugh that Louis let out at that answer slightly unnerved Harry, but he also considered it to be a laugh because of how likely it was to happen. "Yeah, not for a while I don't think. Harry is way too caught up in his work, I'm busy with everything going on at the school. And seeing as it would either be a surrogate or adoption, there will be way too much paperwork to fill out without stressing ourselves out."  
"Oh," Harry said, trying to not show how deflated Louis' comment made him. "I thought it would be soon, but I guess not. I'm not that caught up in work, and if a child is something that we both really wanted, we wouldn't let the paperwork stress us out."  
"Not a conversation to have in a bar, babe," Louis said, pressing a kiss to the corner of Harry's lips. "Later, maybe."  
"Anyway, Louis," Zayn said, clearly trying to cut the weird tension that was kind of building up after that small conversation. "How's work been treating you? Saw Harry smuggling scripts into reprographics to photocopy shit for free."  
Louis laughed, shaking his head as he wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders. "Oh, I know. I asked him to try and get a few photocopies in," he explained. "The spring production is coming around, you know. Doing another Disney one, and I need scripts before I start casting so the kids can run lines from the actual play for auditions. Our home printer can only handle so much, and I can't blow all the drama department's yearly photocopying on a script. The issues of being a teacher."  
"I honestly didn't mean to be sneaking around. If the bill gets too high at the end of the month, tell Winston to drop a few off my pay check to cover the cost of the paper and ink. It's really no issue. I just wanted to make sure Louis got everything he needed." Harry shrugged, finding himself resting his head against Louis, almost letting Louis swallow him up.  
"Too sweet for your own good, Styles," Zayn teased. "Thought Tommo would've softened you up by now"  
"Tomlinson-Styles, for your-"  
"I would try to soften him up if he wasn't so perfect. I wouldn't want him any softer or harder. Well, the second one depends, but." Louis chuckled, gently bumping his nose against Harry's.  
"I love you."  
"You too," Louis smiled. "Always going to love you, darling."  
"Ugh, gross. It's bad enough watching Payno beam as he stares at Maya's tummy. The last thing I need is you two sopping up my life." Niall joked.  
"Just because you're painfully single doesn't mean we can't be loved up." Louis pouted, sticking his tongue out over at Niall.  
"We're at a spa, Niall. There are people everywhere. Go to the pool in the morning, or that pottery thing that Winston set up and I'm sure you'll find someone who will fall for your blond locks and your darling eyes." Maya smiled, evoking a wave of laughter among the group.  
"Whatever," Niall huffed. "Can we start the secret Santa yet?" He asked.  
"Where are Nicky and Aid?" Harry asked, refilling his glass of water.  
"Probably jacking each other off." Louis muttered, initiating Harry to flick his cheek.  
"Hush, angel."  
"Ah, speak of the devil!" Liam said, all heads turning to the bar entrance where Nick and Aiden came through, crashing down on the floor.  
"Sorry we're late. Nick's door went bust and the key card wasn't working." Aiden chuckled, ruffling up Harry's hair, much to Louis' despair. And Harry was pretty sure he failed holding back the smile when Louis touched up his hair immediately after Aiden walked off.  
"Wow, can you believe this expensive place has shit card systems?" Louis muttered, sitting up slightly so he could kick his legs over Harry's lap, a move Harry interpreted as being Louis' way of marking his territory. Louis has always been a jealous person, getting protective and picky whenever there were more than few guys in the room. Although Harry knew that neither Nick or Aiden would ever try and come onto Harry, he quite liked seeing Louis get riled up whenever there was some kind of touching or romantic communications of a sorts between them.  
"Well I can. I accidentally broke one of the computer screens yesterday when I split my water all over it. So I was waiting for Ben to scold me. Guess he made sure I got given the shittiest room." Nick chuckled, rolling his eyes.  
"How on earth did you-?" Harry started, turning to frown at Louis when he cut him off.  
"Secret Santa! It's late and the sooner the gifts are handed out, the better." Louis said, taking hold of Harry's glass.  
"Alright, I guess we can do that. So, who's going first?"  
For the next twenty minutes of so, Harry smiled basically non-stop as all the gifts were handed out and exchanged, especially when he got his own from Nick. Nick got him a new mouse-mat with a photo from Harry and Louis' wedding printed on the front, along with a new flask seeing as the one he brought in before had broken and dented. And it was sweet, it really was. Not like some random articles of clothes that Harry would probably never wear. The gifts were things that he would actually use, and Harry could tell Louis was struggling to find something to insult about them. Especially the mouse mat.  
"Thank you, Nick. These are really sweet." Harry said, leaning over to give Nick a tight hug, and when he leaned back to his original space he was met with Louis looking at the mouse mat, thumb brushing over the photo.  
"This is one of my favourite photos from the wedding, you know." Louis said, looking up to Harry afterwards.  
"Yeah?" Harry asked, eyes crinkling a little to match the smile on his face as he listened to Louis.  
"Yeah."  
*  
"I want to talk about what happened earlier at the bar." Harry said, looking up at Louis as he walked out of the bathroom.  
"About what that happened at the bar?" Louis asked, towel wrapped around his waist and one being used to dry his hair. He looked perfect, and if Harry didn't have intentions for such a serious conversation then he would be pressing kisses to every inch of skin on display.  
"The thing about children." Harry murmured, swallowing thickly.  
"I'm not catching on?"  
"The fact you shut down the possibility of us having kids in the near future," Harry explained, pushing back the blankets on the bed so he was sat up. "Because we've never actually had the conversation about children, and I found it kind of rude and disheartening that you answered without consulting me."  
"Well, I thought seeing as we've both always been so focused on careers that we would be in a mutual agreement to put it off for a while." Louis shrugged, appearing nonchalant as he pulled on his sweats and a tank top, dropping the two towels in the hamper.  
"Will you look at me, please? This isn't a conversation to brush off. It's our future." Harry said, his arms crossing over his chest.  
"Chill, babe. I'm just changing." Louis chuckled, plugging his phone into charge before getting into his side of the bed, furrowing his brows a little as he looked at Harry.  
"If you're not going to take this seriously then I don't want to talk about it." Harry murmured, ruffling up his hair after laying back down and pulling the blankets over him again.  
"I will take this seriously. You just dropped a bombshell on me and expected me to switch into serious mode without having time to understand what you're saying."  
"You're a drama teacher, you should be able to adjust quickly." Harry huffed.  
"Not relevant to the conversation," Louis retorted. "Whatever. So, you want to talk about children?"  
"Do you not want them?" Harry asked, staring at the ceiling.  
"They aren't my priority."  
"That wasn't my question, Louis."  
"Honestly I don't know, Harry. I like my life how it is right now. I like being married to you in our perfect house without having responsibility of another human being. I'm twenty-five, you're twenty-three, we should be bathing in each other's presence instead of considering children." Louis said, fiddling about with his fingers.  
"Don't you even want to consider that your mind can change in the future? You just seem to be shutting off every possibility of kids in the future." Harry said.  
"Fine, no. I don't see it changing. And that's not because I don't want kids, but I don't envision them in my future right now. I'm at the peak of my career, you're approaching yours. I'm not going to rush into another huge commitment while my life is so positive."  
"You're implying having kids would make your life negative then?" Harry asked, hoping that the shattering of his heart wasn't obvious in the crumbling expression on his face.  
Louis sighed, Adam's apple bobbing as he thickly swallowed. "I'm implying that I don't feel emotionally prepared to deal with a new born when I'm still so young. I know we aren't poor, but we haven't financed anything. Which room will become the nursery in the house? Who will look after our baby when we aren't at home? I work all day, you work all day. I'm not going to dish out money for a day-care or a nanny. The point of kids is bonding with them, being there for every moment. Our schedules cannot do that right now."  
"Maya and Liam are doing it."  
"Maya gets maternity leave. Liam gets paternity leave. We would get two weeks maximum off to bond with our baby before having to go back to our daily lives. Until our working hours change, it's not possible." Louis argued, his chest heaving a little.  
"But when are the work hours going to fucking change, Louis?" Harry snapped. "You're a teacher, they don't change. You work the same all year round. Why couldn't we arrange it so that the bulk of the new born stuff happens around the beginning of your six week holiday?"  
"Stop trying to compromise. I said I'm not emotionally ready," Louis said. "Don't snap at me because of this. You cannot force this upon me because at the end of the day it'll make me want a baby less. Like I said, it's not that I don't want kids, but I'm not living in a fantasy like you are. I live in reality where I know we won't be able to give our baby the best chance in life to bond with their parents"  
"I live in a fantasy? You're being a bit of an asshole about this." Harry said, his frown deepening.  
"You don't want to accept the fact that having a baby is unrealistic right now so you're fantasising about how to make it work. It can't work and it won't work. I understand that you think children is the next step, and it is. But we married young, I want to take it slow now."  
"Do you regret marrying me so young?" Harry asked, kind of aware that he was completely changing the context of what Louis said, but he was upset. He felt he had a right to be the way he was.  
"That's not what I said," Louis murmured, his voice softening a little. "I do not regret marrying you. You're the love of my life, you know this. Marrying young meant I maximised the time I get to spend on the planet with you. I was certain about it. I'm not certain about a baby yet."  
"Yet." Harry repeated.  
"Yes, yet. Doesn't mean it won't change. Everything might change by this time next year. It just depends on your work, my work. Please don't get mad at me for this. I love you, okay? I'm just not prepared for the next step yet." Louis said, scooting over to cuddle close to Harry again, wrapping his arm around his waist.  
"Just sucks that you're so against it because I've been ready for a baby ever since we got married." Harry murmured, keeping his voice hushed.  
"You say that, but if we had a baby while you were twenty then I know something would've gone wrong. You're far too ambitious for your own good sometimes." Louis said, his hand slipping under Harry's shirt to gently brush over his skin.  
"I'm not. I know I would be ready, I know myself well. Better than you know me."  
"That's a lie. I know you better than you know yourself. I know your reflexes and reactions to things. Right now you're only thinking about the immediate future. If you were twenty and had a baby, you would only think about the next few months. You wouldn't consider being three years down the line, preparing for nursery and having to pay for that, pay for uniforms and bills and food. Albeit you may know what's going on in your head better than I do, but I will always know you better. Just like you know me better than I know myself. At a deeper level." Louis shrugged.  
"I suppose so..." Harry mumbled, scrunching his hand into a loose fist and gently rubbed it over his eyes. "Sorry, I freaked out a little. I just thought you were implying you never wanted kids ever in your life. I didn't mean for it to escalate to that, or for me to snap at you. I never snap at you."  
"I know you don't. Which is why you're forgiven. And is also why I'm going to start thinking about the future more. I now know how much this means to you. Initially I thought we were on the same page, both agreeing that in the future it would happen. But seeing how passionate and serious you are about starting a family, I'll try considering it happening sooner." Louis explained, his breath dancing over Harry's neck.  
"You don't have to do that."  
"I know, but I want to."  
Silence filled the room after that, things staying quiet between them while they came down from the adrenaline rush of what was something that could be considered an argument. It was weird for them to argue, since they never did. Sure, they would disagree sometimes and have little bickering sessions, but the conversation would always change soon enough and within an hour Harry would forget that there was ever an argument between the two of them. But he supposed given that children was such an important topic that it wasn't possible to have a flimsy disagreement. They needed to get on the same page, understand each other's deep and true emotions towards the topic before coming to some kind of conclusion.  
"So the party tomorrow," Louis started, again working his magic in being able to switch the topic of conversation. And though he doubted that things would switch back to normal right away and he would forget the argument right away, he was grateful for the change. He couldn't stand sitting in silence, thinking over everything that just happened. He couldn't fall asleep thinking about the whole children situation, to Harry it was almost as bad as falling asleep annoyed. "And the whole itinerary. I know we ticked for breakfast, swimming and the complimentary massage. But when does the party actually start?" He asked.  
"I think half seven? I'll ask the lads tomorrow, see if they know. It'll be a little late. It always is, you know. Start late, finish early. Means that we're all forced to stay and have breakfast for a second day because everyone will be hung-over." Harry chuckled, turning around so he was facing Louis.  
"You don't want to spoon tonight?" Louis asked, fingers gently brushing through Harry's fringe and pushing it back out of his face. "And yeah, I know. Winston always seems to want to elongate these things. But half seven? Does that mean we'll have time for afternoon tea? It wasn't on the itinerary but I know they do it here and I would quite like to have it with you."  
"If you would like too then we can. Anything you want, I want," Harry said, letting his lips press against Louis'. "And no, just want to cuddle tonight. The bed is too big to spoon in. I feel like I'm facing eternal darkness. Would much rather look at your face."  
"Alright then, sweetheart. Talk about it more in the morning?" Louis checked.  
"Of course," Harry smiled, letting himself finally relax for the first time that night. "Sleep well, I love you."  
"You too, darling. Forever and always."


End file.
